Derick Dillard is not exactly on great terms with his awful in-laws. For that matter, even Jill has to beg for permission to see her own siblings.
Now, Derick has taken a liking to the idea of a Dillard family spinoff of Counting On, where they could expose Jim Bob for exactly what he is.
"Hey @TLC you know what show would be a hit?" a fan's tweet asks. "@jillmdillard and @derickmdillard: Breaking Free."
"They have a story to tell," the tweet reads, "and it's time for some truth to be told!"
"It would be amazing to see their journey," the fan eagerly expresses.
In addition to tagging both Jill and Derick, the tweet ends with the hashtags: "#tlc #CountingOn #leavingthecult #RealityTV."
In and of itself, that tweet is simply a pretty intriguing idea from a fan.
Like so many who have become aware of what the Duggar family is truly like, this Twitter denizen wants Jim Bob and Michelle exposed.
From child abuse to coverups to neglect to exerting overwhelming financial control, the Duggars who started it all have a lot for which to answer.
But here is where Derick Dillard weighed in:
On Twitter, Derick Dillard "liked" the tweet.
Likes are publicly visible, so not only can this be seen by searching his "likes," but by looking at the tweet's activity. Derick shows up.
And, thanks to a Twitter feature that literally nobody asked for or appreciates, any of his over 120,000 followers could then see the tweet promoted to their feeds.
People rarely if ever "like" a tweet because they want to bookmark it. They "like" tweets as an endorsement.
So why does Derick "like" this idea so much?
Probably because he would like to speak his mind, which he currently only does to a degree.
It is believed that Derick engages in some tongue-biting when it comes to Jim Bob Duggar, possibly for the sake of Jill or their financial prospects.
But even the fan belief that Jim Bob gives his adult children an "allowance" hasn't stopped Derick from blowing one story wide open.
Somewhat recently, Derick announced to fans that he and Jill were never paid for appearing on Counting On.
Derick says that the family was led to believe that they were appearing on the show as a form of service or even "ministry."
Jim Bob then received the salary from TLC and allegedly kept whatever he wanted for himself.
This claim has not been confirmed but it is very believable. The Duggars would not be the first reality family paid with a single paycheck.
But setting aside payment models that should be illegal, Derick has been dropping hints that he has much more to say.
He has even suggested that he may write a tell-all book about Jim Bob and all that he has experienced with the Duggar family.
Whether he was just trolling fans or taking the chance to make Jim Bob sweat at the idea, fans were interested.
Jim Bob needs to be taken down. But no matter what he does, is Derick in any position to do it?
The trouble is that Derick is note xactly a good person. The guy is an unabashed bigot.
His transphobic attacks against a minor teenage girl, Jazz Jennings, drew the ire of his own fans and of TLC.
He's one of those dudes who thinks that Drag Queen Story Hours are somehow inherently inappropriate.
Derick and Jill have also been accused multiple times of trying to fleece their fans of cash.
That said, sometimes prosecutors grant sweetheart deals to genuinely bad people so that they will testify against someone much worse.
Maybe it would be for the greater good if some reality TV network financed Derick's takedown of Jim Bob Duggar.
Derick would have to be able to back up what he has to say for his words to carry weight. Jill's word would probably mean more than his to most.
We doubt that TLC will go for it as long as they're airing Counting On. But maybe Derick should see if WeTV will bite.
He may not deserve a new reality gig, but there would be a market for it.
